Matt Ryan is seeking to handle unfinished business in his new role as Falcons president of football

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — Matt Ryan said he is motivated to take care of unfinished business in his new role as the Atlanta Falcons president of football.

Ryan was named the 2016 NFL MVP after leading the Falcons to the Super Bowl in the highlight of his 14 years as the team's starting quarterback. Even so, the Falcons never won the championship and now Ryan has a new opportunity to help the team win its first title.

Ryan's first priority is leading the search for a new coach and general manager.

“To the Falcons fans, my mission since I was drafted has never changed,” Ryan said Tuesday in his first news conference since being named president of football on Saturday. "It is to help this organization do everything it can to be champions and to win championships.

“And there is a sense of unfinished business.”

The Falcons fired coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot after an 8-9 finish. Falcons owner Arthur Blank also made front office changes, including the creation of the president of football position.

Ryan takes over the leadership of football operations from Greg Beadles, who remains president and CEO. The new coach and general manager will report to Ryan, who Blank said Tuesday is in charge of “everything between football and grass.”

“We feel he's a perfect choice,” said Blank of Ryan, adding he spoke with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell “and made him aware we were chatting with Matt. And his response was that, you know, you’re not going to find anybody better, smarter, more committed, a better human being, a better leader for the NFL and for your franchise.”

While Ryan is charged with setting the course for the team, he emphasized he won't interfere with the traditional decisions handled by the coach and general manager.

When asked when he first considered seeking a front-office position with an NFL team, Ryan said “I didn't” during his three years an an NFL analyst for CBS.

“I was really happy with what I was doing at that time with CBS and excited about that opportunity,” Ryan said. “And I want to make it clear. This is the only place I would do it, and I feel really connected to this organization and have my entire life or adult life.”

Ryan worked on the CBS pregame show on Sunday and said he hoped at this time next year the crew is discussing the Falcons in the playoffs.

“I believe there’s a lot of young, talented players on the defensive side of the ball,” Ryan said. "We’ve got some offensive linemen who are really, really solid, some of which I played with, which is kind of crazy, but really cool. I think we’ve got a special running back in Bijan (Robinson) and what he can do as a player. We’ve got some talented pieces on the outside.

“There’s a lot of good pieces that are here, but I also recognize it’s hard. I mean, it’s difficult to win in this league and it takes everyone, it takes everybody coming together and pulling their weight. And so I’m excited about what’s here. I think there are a lot of strong pieces, and certainly confident in the players that we have in our building.”

Ryan also said “I love” quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who is recovering from season-ending surgery on his left knee.

The Falcons interviewed six head coach candidates in Ryan's first three days, including former Baltimore coach John Harbaugh and former Miami coach Mike McDaniel on Monday. Beadles said the team has only interviewed coaches, not candidates to be GM, because “there are specific windows when we can talk to coaches.”

Blank said he hoped the new coach and general manager can be hired at about the same time.

“It’s important we land both these planes about at the same time, because there has to be collaboration between these two individuals,” Blank said.

Ryan's wife, Sarah, and three sons — twins Marshall and Johnny and youngest son Cal — attended the news conference. The boys wore Ryan's Falcons jerseys. When Cal grew restless during the hour-long news conference, Ryan noted his ability to continue answering questions proved he can multitask.

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Former Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan gestures during a news conference as the new Atlanta Falcons president of football along with Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank, left, and President and CEO of the Atlanta Falcons Greg Beadles, right, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, in Flowery Branch, Ga. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Former Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan speaks during a news conference as the new Atlanta Falcons president of football, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, in Flowery Branch, Ga. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Former Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan speaks during a news conference as the new Atlanta Falcons president of football along with Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank, left, and President and CEO of the Atlanta Falcons Greg Beadles, right, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, in Flowery Branch, Ga. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Former Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan speaks during a news conference as the new Atlanta Falcons president of football, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, in Flowery Branch, Ga. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Former Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan speaks during a news conference as the new Atlanta Falcons president of football, along with Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, in Flowery Branch, Ga. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

BANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar’s parliament on Friday elected Min Aung Hlaing, a general who ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s civilian government in 2021 and kept an iron grip on power for the past five years, as the country’s new president.

The move marks a nominal return to an elected government but is widely considered as an effort to keep the army in power after an election organized by the military that opponents and independent observers deemed neither free nor fair.

Transitioning to an elected government is also seen as a way to improve frosty relations with Asian neighbors following the military takeover. China and Russia have supported the military administration, while Western powers imposed sanctions.

Min Aung Hlaing was one of three nominees for the president’s post, but was virtually guaranteed the job as lawmakers from military-backed parties and appointed members from the army hold a commanding majority in parliament.

The vote was held in the newly renovated parliament building in the capital, Naypyitaw, which was damaged in last year’s earthquake.

Aung Lin Dwe, speaker of parliament’s combined upper and lower house, announced that Min Aung Hlaing won 429 out of the 584 votes.

The two runners-up become vice presidents. Nyo Saw, a former general, had served as an adviser to Min Aung Hlaing, and Nan Ni Ni Aye, an ethnic Karen politician from the pro-military Union Solidarity and Development Party, will be the country’s first female vice president. They are expected to be inaugurated next week.

Min Aung Hlaing, who holds the rank of senior general, had earlier relinquished his post of commander-in-chief because the constitution prohibits the president from simultaneously holding the top military position. A close aide, Gen. Ye Win Oo, took over the powerful job.

The 69-year-old Min Aung Hlaing had been the military chief since 2011. Under the military-imposed constitution, he held significant powers even before overthrowing Suu Kyi’s government.

Parliament members were elected in three phases in December and January. Major opposition parties, including Suu Kyi’s former ruling National League for Democracy, were either blocked from running or refused to compete under conditions they deemed unfair. Suu Kyi, 80, is serving a 27-year prison term on charges widely viewed as politically motivated.

Myanmar was under military rule from 1962 until 2016, when Suu Kyi’s party came to power, and won an even greater mandate in the 2020 general election. The army took seized control in 2021, before the new Parliament could convene.

Peaceful protests against military rule were put down with deadly force, pushing pro-democracy activists to turn to armed resistance and ally themselves with ethnic minority groups who have been battling for greater autonomy for decades.

Much of the country has been enmeshed in a bloody civil war. Security concerns meant voting in the recent election could be held in only 263 of the country’s 330 townships.

“If Min Aung Hlaing thinks that an official civilian title will shield him from prosecution for the many grave violations of international law that he is accused of overseeing as head of the military, that is not how international justice works," Amnesty International Myanmar researcher Joe Freeman said in statement.

In 2024, the International Criminal Court in The Hague began an investigation on charges of crimes against humanity after a prosecutor applied for an arrest warrant for Min Aung Hlaing over the military’s brutal persecution of the Rohingya minority.

Parliament chairman Aung Lin Dwe, center, arrives for a session of Union Parliament in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo)

FILE - Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, head of Myanmar's military council, inspects officers during a parade to commemorate Myanmar's 78th Armed Forces Day in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, March 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo, File)

Myanmar's military representatives and lawmakers arrive to attend a session at Union parliament in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, Friday, April 3, 2026.(AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo)

Myanmar's military representatives arrive for a session at Union parliament in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, Thursday, April 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo)

Myanmar's military representatives arrive for a session at Union parliament in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo)

Parliament chairman Aung Lin Dwe arrives for a session of Union Parliament in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo)

Parliament chairman Aung Lin Dwe, center, arrives for a session of Union Parliament in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo)